The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Workshop on improving learning quality in schools

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 09, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Workshop on improving learning quality in schools

Special Correspondent

A training programme was held for teachers and principals

CHENNAI: The Ahmedabad-based organisation, Educational Initiatives (EI), that conducts support programmes for schools and teachers, held several training programmes in different parts of the country.

The objective: to significantly improve the quality of learning in schoolchildren.

One such programme took place in Chennai last month for principals and teachers. The key areas focussed upon were understanding, assessment strategies, the issue of shifting to a skill-based curriculum and effective framing of questions.

The workshops catered to a group of 210 teachers and 30 management people.

Workshops on English, mathematics and science sought to help teachers understand the objectives of learning through classroom activities. The idea was to motivate teachers to reflect on the importance of relating the subject to real life so that students find the topics meaningful.

Integration of subjects was one of the important components of the workshops. Teachers also understood the role of assessment. Ideas were shared on how to develop low-cost and simple teaching aids.

Through `Assessment and understanding by design workshop,' the teachers were shown how understanding was critical to learning. To find out that whether the students have understood what was taught in class, high quality evaluation is important, they were told.

Though it is important to focus on academic outcomes, it is equally important to realise that a self-confident and competent teacher is more effective in the classroom, EI resource persons noted.

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